FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The LIU softball team dropped both games of their double header at Sacred Heart Saturday, falling to the Pioneers 2-1 on a walk off homer in game one, and 7-5 in game two.
GAME ONE
Sacred Heart got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning, scoring a run with two outs off an RBI single. The Sharks answered in the top of the sixth inning, when senior
Patricia Griffin led off with her first home run of the season over the right field fence, evening the score 1-1.
The game would end in heartbreaking fashion for the Sharks however. In the bottom of the seventh with two outs, SHU would get a home run over the right field fence to win on a walk off, 2-1.
Senior
Tallie Woodson, who had the loss on the mound, was otherwise strong in her season debut, pitching the complete game, registering nine strikeouts and giving up just four hits over 6.2 innings.
GAME TWO
The second game of the day got off to a brighter start for LIU, as the Sharks scored twice in the top of the first inning. Griffin led off with a walk, and made it to third with the help of a wild pitch. Junior
Camryn Lyman came up next, and singled to the pitcher. She then stole second, to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. Senior
Ciara Granado took advantage, with a sac fly that scored one. And junior
Samantha Garcia brought the second run in with a long single to center field, putting LIU up, 2-0.
SHU would add a run in the bottom of the second, but another sac fly for Granado in the top of the third bumped LIU's lead to 3-1.
The home team would add two more runs in the bottom of the third, to cut the lead to 3-2, but LIU added insurance runs in the top of the fifth. Senior
Katie Hinkle would score on an RBI groundout from Lyman, and a few batters later, freshman
Dallas Andrews had her first collegiate RBI with her single through the left side to make it 5-2.
In the bottom of the inning, however, the Sharks struggled, and several SHU players walked. After a run was walked in, an RBI single cut the lead to 5-4. On the next batter with the bases loaded, a double to left center field brought all three runners home, and the Pioneers came out of the inning with the 7-5 lead.
The Sharks would get one more runner in scoring position before the end of the game, but SHU held on through the seventh to take the win, 7-5.
Up next, the Sharks have another double header against the Pioneers, Sunday, March 21 at 12 p.m.
